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OCBC Wisma Atria

Pick your own date

Pick your own date

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My journey as a 4th-generation apprentice craftsman

 

Synopsis: 

After 4 years helming a charity, Ng Tze Yong joined his family business as its 4th-generation apprentice craftsman, picking up an ancient craft from his 93-year-old grandmother and 72-year-old dad.

Established in 1896, his family business - Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop - is one of Singapore's oldest heritage businesses. 

It hand-crafts wooden effigies of Taoist and Buddhist deities using traditional techniques dating back to the early Qing Dynasty, a method which is listed as an official Intangible Cultural Heritage of China used to craft gifts to foreign dignitaries. 

In this personal sharing, Tze Yong will take you on his unconventional journey, giving a glimpse into the secrets of the ancient craft, which revolves around a splendidly-inclusive cast of characters comprising fearsome warlords, fair maidens, drunken monks and filial parrots.

He will describe the iconography that is critical to the accurate identification of individuals within this cast, utilising a myriad combination of headwear, robes, armour, weapons, accessories, postures, gestures, eye brows, skin tones, beards, and even sideburns.

He will share about the family's innovation efforts, kick-started as a small thesis project at New York's Parsons School of Design (better known for fashion models than divine models).

It was an innovation journey involving a Monkey God redesign competition, turning his grandma into a mini star on Airbnb, the

use of technology used in medical aesthetics, and the set-up of a contemporary education arm - the Academy of Classical Chinese Culture - to help modern kids fall in love with ancient legends.

He'd share how amid these, he came to realise the unobvious: That his grandma's seemingly old-fashioned shop was already the OG startup, 130 years ago.

Important to note:

* The sharing will comprise a 40min presentation via slides and a 20min Q&A where guests are welcome to ask questions and contribute perspectives.

* Photos of the workshop may be taken and used for publicity purposes.

* Synopsis subject to minor changes.

* Conducted in English 

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